Marcos Delivers Annual Speech Under 23,000-Police Lockdown as Corruption Probe Engulfs Allies
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 27
Marcos Delivers Annual Speech Under 23,000-Police Lockdown as Corruption Probe Engulfs Allies
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Jul 27
Summary
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was set to give his annual state of the nation address Monday under heavy security in Quezon City, with his speech overshadowed by a widening corruption scandal and Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
More than 23,000 police secured the House of Representatives, while roads to the presidential palace were barricaded after a homemade bomb exploded near the Justice Department and bomb parts were found near the Senate.
Marcos is expected to unveil programs to cushion the Philippines from renewed Middle East hostilities, after declaring a yearlong national energy emergency in March to protect fuel, food and farm supplies.
Last year’s speech triggered probes into flood-control graft that have since implicated dozens of lawmakers and public works officials; a current and a former senator have been indicted, while critics say bigger political figures still face no charges.
The address comes in Marcos’s penultimate year before his term ends in 2028, testing his pledge to jail even allies if evidence warrants it.